Rising costs. Delayed shipments. A baffling bureaucracy. President Donald Trump's tariffs on imported aluminum and steel are disrupting business for American companies that buy those metals, and many are pressing for relief. Hundreds of companies are asking the Commerce Department to exempt them from the 25 percent steel tariff and the 10 percent aluminum tariff. Other companies are weighing their options. Jody Fledderman, CEO of Batesville Tool & Die in Indiana, says American steelmakers have already raised their prices since Trump's tariffs were announced last month. Fledderman says he may be forced to shift some production to a plant in Mexico in response to demands from his customers. On Wednesday, a group of small- and medium-size manufacturers gathered in Washington to announce a new group — the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users — to fight the steel tariff. The Trump administration last month imposed the tariffs on steel and aluminum, arguing … [Read more...] about Hurt by Trump’s tariffs, U.S. companies plead for exemptions

Juan Zamorano and Stephen Braun, Associated Press Updated 9:54 pm, Monday, April 9, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-3', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 3', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Arnulfo Franco, AP Image 1of/3 CaptionClose Image 1 of 3 FILE - In this March 5, 2018 file photo, a man removes the word Trump, off a marquee outside the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama City, Panama. The Britton & Iglesias firm, which has represented the Trump Organization in its fight to continue running the hotel, addressed a letter dated March 22 to President Juan Carlos Varela that appealed for help days before an emergency arbitrator declined to reinstate the Trump management team to a luxury waterfront hotel. less FILE - In this … [Read more...] about Trump’s company asked Panama president to help in hotel spat